The Nerdiest (and Loopiest) White House Petitions

Some petitions to the Obama Administration's "We the People" petition page make sense, in a nerdy sort of way. Others don't. We’ll show you both.

On Jan. 15, Macon Phillips took aim and shot democracy square in the chest.

As it happened, the ultra-popular (dare we say "viral") White House petitions site had crossed a critical threshold. Days earlier, the government received more than 25,000 signatures from earnest constituents hoping that the Obama administration would fund a "Death Star" capable of raining destruction from outer space. (These were apparently the same folks who had enthusiastically received the Reagan Administration's "Star Wars" anti-missile platform.) These and other silly petitions prompted the White House to raise the threshold for an official White House response from 25,000 e-signatures to 100,000.

A while back, the administration reassured voters that they in fact welcomed petitions, which initially had a threshold of just 5,000 votes to require an administration response. That climbed to 25,000, and then 100,000 last week. The adjustment is intended to "ensure we're able to continue to give the most popular ideas the time they deserve," Phillips, the White House director of new media, wrote in a recent blog post.

Administration officials have said previously that they encouraged voter feedback via petitions, described as a fundamental right. "In many cases, petitions posted on We the People have helped spur discussions of important policy issues here at the White House and across the Administration, and we've used the We the People platform to announce changes in policy or continue a dialogue with people who have an interest in the issue," the Administration wrote.

Some petitions have made it through the process, and won themselves an official response from the Obama Administration. Others are just plain weird, and will undoubtedly die before they reach the critical vote threshold. We'll show you both.

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No Death Stars

No Death Stars

Unfortunately, the Obama administration shot down (yuk, yuk) the idea of a Death Star, pointing out that its goals were to shrink the deficit, not expand it. "The Administration does not support blowing up planets," it wrote. And: "Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?"
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